Proposition 93 primarily helps the incumbents

Our view: A so-called reform of term limits is mainly a big gift of time to those now in office.

The history of politics is thick with self-serving schemes, but Proposition 93 is one of the slickest in recent memory.

Under the guise of tightening term limits, the initiative actually gives more time in office to today's incumbents. Those are, go figure, the very people pushing the measure.

Current law gives members up to six years in the Assembly and eight in the Senate. Under Proposition 93, lawmakers would be limited to 12 years total but could serve that time in one house.

The catch is that incumbents would be grandfathered. Even if they've already served a few terms in the Assembly and then hopped to the Senate -- a common enough practice -- the 12-year limit would apply only to their current jobs. But that cushion applies only to present officeholders. Is there any possible justification for that gift?

If it passes, Proposition 93 would loosen limits for a number of otherwise termed-out lawmakers just a week before the filing period for their next election. Cynics say that timing is the Legislature's real motive for scheduling this year's presidential primaries in February. Judge for yourself.

What's more, this tinkering with term limits originally arose as part of a package of reforms that included fixing the way the state sets legislative districts. Today, those districts are drawn by lawmakers themselves, a system that lets politicians choose their voters. Oddly enough, the part that reins in pols' power didn't make it to the ballot.